Immortal
by Milarius
Summary: After all of the time that he had claimed wanting to be 21 forever...he had no idea how right he actually was... "There's nothing left for me here. My reason for living is...it's gone... I had a chance to make more out of my life all those years ago but now...now my life is completely empty."
1. Chapter 1

**_Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita._**

* * *

_Time is a curious thing._

_If one were to think too much about it, it could be too much of a nuisance to even comprehend, and even trying to figure it out would result in some sort of failure._

_Or, one could reach a conclusion that they have only so much time left in this world, and feel a serge of panic._

_But regardless of how one measures time, and the time one has left, it cannot even be imagined how it must feel to not have to worry about time._

_Time doesn't exist._

_Or so it's said._

_While others have wanted nothing more than to live forever, thinking it to be a wonderful blessing, pine for an answer, they find none._

_Then, there are those lucky few, or so they're considered to be, who are given what those others had wanted. But to them, it's nothing but a curse._

* * *

The city was the same, with the sounds of only a few people walking around in the nightlife, as they had every other night. It was always the same, and there was nothing exciting or new about the pattern. Especially to the certain individual who was watching from above, dull crimson eyes surveying the crowd, searching...searching...searching...and finding nothing.

_What am I expecting..._

The eyes close and open again, their owner's head turning away from the crowd and back to the darkness of the rooftop, now searching there, hoping to find something, but knowing that it will never appear before him.

Every single night, the individual would come out to Ikebukuro, sitting on the same rooftop and watching the world below, waiting...waiting, as he always had for countless days.

_Why do I keep waiting?_

And then, as he always did, he would climb down the stairs on the side of the building, reaching the cold cement of the sidewalk, making his way back to his apartment. Hands in his pockets, he feels the cool metal of his switchblade in one, the slick and slightly warm surface of his cellphone in the other. Sighing, he takes one final look behind him, hoping for some sign...and nothing. He turns back to head home, giving up another night.

It's been almost an hour now, the streets quiet and deserted. The individual walks slowly to his destination, that same and continuous feeling hovering above him, the feeling he had every night since-

The familiar and haunting call of a stallion interrupts his thoughts, looking up as the Black Rider is now before him.

"Izaya."

Her cellphone screen reads, her yellow cat helmet shining under the streetlamp.

"Celty." The man replies, with a nod of his head.

The other also nods, quickly typing up something to show to her companion.

"So you still go to Ikebukuro each night, huh?"

A nod is her reply.

The dullahan takes in the appearance of the man who used to be one of Ikebukuro's most dangerous men, now less menacing. His hair is almost an inch longer, he wears a simple pair of black jeans and a navy blue jacket. He could almost pass for a college student. Although, his true age would suggest otherwise.

"What are you hoping to find, Izaya? You obviously aren't doing your human observation like you used to."

The other is silent for a moment before he replies.

"It helps me to think...to clear my thoughts. What else is there to do? Human observation is pointless now. Each generation is the same as the last. The people aren't evolving, but the technology is. Everyone remains the same. It's become...boring."

The dullahan remains motionless before she types again.

"I understand. I never had understood your hobby, but as long as it has been since you've been doing it, it would get dull."

"...Mhm..."

There is a heavy silence in the air as the woman makes a sighing motion with her shoulders, entering something else on her keypad, showing it to her companion.

"Izaya...do you miss him?"

The brunette's face hasn't bore his masks in so long, that he doesn't even remember how to use them, or even care to, anyway. There is a blank expression on his face, before there is a hint of something in his eyes, something like regret. But, there is also a small smile on his face. It's sad, but it's a smile.

"...I don't know." He admits with uncertainty, feeling that an answer should be given, although it is clearly not honest. Wanting to distract from himself, to receive more time to think about a proper response, he redirects the answer. "And you? Do you miss...you know..."

Celty lowers what would be her head underneath her helmet, making, yet again, another sighing motion with her shoulders before showing a reply.

"Every single day. It's gotten easier. But, if I think too much about him, I don't know what to do with myself. So I drive around and try to clear my head." She pauses and shows her phone again. "Ironic in a way, but it does help. Just like how you come to Ikebukuro to clear yours."

"...Ah..."

"That seems to be what you've been doing, Izaya. You think too much about it, to the point that you're still looking for him. He's not going to show up, and you know that. But you keep looking...why do you keep looking?"

It was then, after reading the words on the screen, that he could come up with a true answer.

"...Because I refuse to believe that he doesn't exist anymore. I'm living with regrets...so many regrets..." His body starts trembling as he covers his face with his hands, turning his body away. "...Celty I...I can't stand this...this curse. I thought that I would be happy like this, but I'm not. I'm not happy at all. If anything, I'm miserable. I can't live in a world where I still have such a strong bond to the past. I can't forget..."

Celty moved closer and put a soothing hand around the other's shoulder, trying to relax her companion, understanding what he was going through.

"That's why I distanced myself from everyone...that's why I said that I loved all human beings equally. I didn't want to gain an attachment to anyone, for this very reason. But he...he was the only one who still managed to do even that. And now...now that he's gone, I feel an even stronger attachment..."

He isn't able to continue, silent tears rolling down his face as he starts to slowly break, never having opened up about this in all of the years that had passed, Celty being his only companion, the only one he could trust anymore.

"This is the wonderful reward of living forever." It is obviously sarcasm typed on the small screen, Celty shaking her head and then showing it again. "Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier going back to my old life in Ireland, doing what a dullahan does...but then I remember that I've lived as a human for too long. So, I continue to live this way, and I'm content. I've experienced human emotions, and above all, I've experienced love. Shinra taught me that, and when he passed on, I wasn't left with any regrets."

Celty erases everything, hesitant, wondering if that was wise to say. It's proved as the wrong thing to have said, Izaya looking up with fresh tears in his eyes, trying to wipe them away on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Celty...I'm glad that you've gotten something out of your life..." He tried to say as sincerely as he could, taking in a deep breath before speaking again. "But how are you going to move on now? What are you...well, even...the both of us to do?" Izaya sighed quietly. "There's nothing left for me here. My reason for living is...it's gone... I had a chance to make more out of my life all those years ago but now...now my life is completely empty."

The dullahan takes a long moment as she thinks about what was said, considering how to respond to the broken man. She types something up again and shows it to him.

"Do you really feel as if you can't live anymore?"

Izaya doesn't even need to think twice as he shakes his head. "No. I can't."

Celty seems to have an answer ready for him, although the words seem to be an irrelevant answer to the current situation.

"Izaya, do you remember what happened to him?"

The other blinks, staring at the screen in confusion. "Celty...what does that have to-" The phone is practically pressed into his face, obviously Celty's way of telling him to just answer the question. "...Yes, he-...wait..." He paused for a long moment.

"So you don't remember what happened to him."

"But..." He took a moment, trying to figure it out. "Celty...I don't even recall what happened...do you know? He passed on just like Shinra did, right?"

"Shizuo had superhuman strength, but he wasn't immortal, Izaya. I imagine that he lived just as many years as any other human being."

"...But he-..."

The shoulders of the dullahan slumped as she shook her head yet again, showing the small screen.

"You had left, Izaya. You left for quite a few years before you came back a year ago. What was it, about fifty or so?"

"Time is irrelevant, Celty. It's only a state of mind." He pauses. "I really didn't want to leave, but I had to. It would be suspicious if I were to always look the same as everyone aged. "

"I know you didn't want to. Anyways, to those of us with this gift, or as you and I call it, a curse, time is indeed irrelevant. But it can still be measured, and it's important to think of it that way for now while we figure this out."

Izaya sighs, looking down at his hands with a defeated smile on his face. "So, he's gone, then. Of course he would be. It was foolish to think that idiot would be in the same predicament as myself..." The brunette lowers his head to hide his face, his expression away from view.

"...Izaya..." His companion gently pats his back again.

"Celty, I think I'd better head back now..."

There was a small pause. "I understand."

"I'm sorry..." Izaya lifts his head to look at his companion, his expression unreadable. "Thank you for this small talk...it was nice..." He gives a small and surprisingly genuine smile. "I'll see you again...perhaps tomorrow." There is an exchange of waves as they part ways, Celty looking after him as he walks back to his apartment in Shinjuku.

* * *

It was around one in the morning when the ex-informant woke from his slumber. It had become more and more difficult to sleep, living like this having become the unfortunate nightly routine. But the hours that he didn't sleep, he would make up for in the day time. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, each day consisting of eating, sleeping, and walking around between the cities of Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. He was becoming restless.

When would this nightmare end?

* * *

**Hello, it's Milarius-san again. **

**I got this idea and had it circulating for a while, so I thought I'd put it here. I'm not used to writing 'angsty' stuff. But hey, there's a first time for everything, ne?**

**This story will be only a few chapters long...it's all planned out, beginning to end.**

**Reviews are loved~**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita._**

* * *

It was another day, or rather, another night, when the brunette found himself walking down the streets, on the way to the same city once again. He was replaying the dullahan's words in his head, and he couldn't stop.

_"Shizuo had superhuman strength, but he wasn't immortal, Izaya. I imagine that he lived just as many years as any other human being."_

"But that's just it..." Izaya spoke to himself as he continued along the empty streets to his destination. "It isn't known for certain. He wasn't like any other human being I had ever encountered. I wanted his attention from the start so that I could...so I could...have someone..."

He swallowed thickly, feeling the urge to cry once more. He felt foolish , but at the same time, he felt no need to hold back years of concealing his emotions. However, he did hold back this time, going on his way as he saw the lights of Ikebukuro up ahead.

As he continued, he suddenly got another thought. He had been observing the crowds from up high all this time, hoping to spot what he was looking for. What if this time, he walked amongst the crowd?

Taking his own idea into consideration, he made it to the city, walking on the sidewalk as civilians passed him by. No one recognized him, since he wasn't known by anyone here. He had nothing to worry about, and it brought back a familiar comfort of being around humans once again. However, the feeling was short-lived, his interest of human observation long gone and his mind only set on one person now.

_Shizuo._

He walked around for a couple of hours, passing by familiar places and landmarks that he hadn't seen up close in years. Actually intrigued after not having seen them in so long, he stopped to observe them, connecting memories of the past with each and everyone. He had all the time in the world, after all.

It was then that Izaya began to feel hungry, so he took a deep breath, deciding to venture to one place he hadn't been to since he had come back. Russian Sushi.

The tall black Russian was not in the front of the building as he used to be, and even though he could be annoying, Izaya couldn't help but miss hearing the broken Japanese as he tried to get customers to come inside. It was nostalgic, in a way.

He went inside the still-standing restaurant, greeted by another Russian-Japanese man, perhaps a descendant of those who used to own it. He was seated and ordered what he hadn't tasted in what seemed like forever; what had been his favorite food. Ootoro. As it was presented before him, he reached a hand out and took a piece between his fingers, lifting it to his mouth and taking a delicate bite, eyes lighting up as all of the reasons why he loved it so much became apparent once again. He was able to smile, finishing up a few other pieces before taking the rest to go. Leftover ootoro would be one thing to look forward to, at least.

Izaya ventured out to the streets again, a small bag in his hand as he decided he would start to head home. He took a deep breath and looked at the ground, then back up at all of the people walking by.

This was no way to live, with all of these regrets, and Izaya knew he had to change his attitude. It was high time that he become more optimistic and move on, or at least try.

_He's gone. Just get over it._

Eventually, the brunette got to a park bench, sitting himself down and placing the small bag of ootoro beside himself. He glanced around at his surroundings, everything truly not much different than it had been over fifty years ago.

_The last time that I saw him..._

He let out a long sigh, leaning back in the bench and resting his head, hoping that the fresh air of the park would help clear his mind. So far, it wasn't really helping.

"Excuse me..."

Izaya frowned a bit, not bothering to lift his head to see where the voice had come from. Who dared to disturb him while he was, very obviously, trying to rest?

"...Hm?"

He wouldn't give this person the liberty of a decent response, keeping it short and simple.

"...Ah...I'm sorry for bugging you. But do you mind if I sit here? Every other bench is taken..."

The brunette remained in the same position, not caring at all either way. This person didn't sound sketchy or anything, and Izaya still had his knife skills in the event of any problems. But it's not like he cared what happened to him at this point, anyway.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks a lot." The man sits down opposite him, keeping a good distance between them. Izaya was thankful for this, and the bench was quite large to begin with anyway.

There was a shuffling noise which sounded like something being taken out of a bag. A bit curious now, Izaya peeked on eye open to steal a look at the person on the bench with him. He couldn't see his face, since the man was turned away, Izaya assuming he was going through a bag. But from what he could see, this man was taller than him, and he had chestnut brown hair, a bit longer than his own, as well as somewhat wavy.

"Sorry. Thanks again for letting me sit here. It's my first time back in Ikebukuro in quite a few years, and I always came to this park when I wanted to calm down."

The man took out what looked like a large sketchpad, a pencil already in his hand as he turned to a blank page. Izaya noticed a few of the pages beforehand, which were full of very impressive sketches of what looked like tree branches and other scenes of nature. Izaya forgot about being irritated and was now intrigued, keeping up the facade of 'resting' as he continued to peer down at the paper as the man began to draw. After a while, Izaya felt like it would be a bit rude if he just got up and left, and even more awkward if he let this silence go on any longer. After all, he hadn't yet replied to the other man's thanks.

"...So you've been to this city before... Do you feel like...it's a bit different now compared to when you were here last?" He kept his voice plain, trying not to sound like he was overly curious. But it wouldn't hurt to try and make conversation, and possibly, an acquaintance.

The other man seemed, surprisingly, quite happy that Izaya had actually spoken to him, asking a legitimate question, no less.

"Ah, yeah, a while back." He paused, working on his sketch a bit more before continuing to speak. "It's not too different, actually. Everything seems the same as it always had been. It's just...maybe the only thing that's different...yeah, the people are a bit different, you know? Everyone that I knew moved on and took separate routes. But I loved this city, so I came back." He sighed and continued to draw.

Izaya didn't know what it was, but he actually enjoyed listening to this man. His voice was gentle and almost...kind. It was something Izaya hadn't the luxury of ever really hearing directed at him, so this was definitely a nice change. On top of that, they even had a bit in common. Wanting to know more, he spoke.

"Yeah...I can definitely relate." Izaya leaned back again and stretched quickly, sighing and looking over to the other side at the trees. "I live outside of Ikebukuro, but I come by everyday because I enjoy being here. It's just one of those cities..." He chuckled quietly.

The other was silent for a bit, still sketching, before he finally replied.

"Mm..." The other made a small and almost irritated sigh as he turned his pencil over to erase something. Then, deeming it satisfactory, he went back to sketching.

"It certainly is. For me, it holds a lot of memories. Not all of them were good, but in the end, there were more good than bad. Enough for me to want to come back."

Izaya nodded as he listened, although the other was very focused on drawing. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen the other's face yet, and it bothered him for some reason. But it wasn't like he could just ask him to look up or move the man to face him by force. So, he settled with the next best thing, just speaking with this man until he would look up.

"...Yeah...same here..." The darker brunette tried to think of what else to say.

"So...you draw?" It was a somewhat silly question now that Izaya thought about it, since it was obvious. But, he did want to know a bit more about this person.

"Yes, I've been doing it as a hobby for a few years now. It's mostly nature scenery, but that's what I like to draw. I would go around other parks in the country and just draw... I don't really remember how the interest got started, but it became a good pastime since I had a lot of time on my hands."

"...Ah..." Izaya's lips formed into a small smile as the other spoke, it occurring to him that he could have come up with something to do all of these years he had been around, perhaps taking up a hobby of his own. His human observation was long withered away as an interest, and it surprised even him when he first started to lose that interest. But this man, even though he wasn't like Izaya in that he could live forever, still had the right idea about what to do with his time. It made Izaya a bit envious of him, since he was seemingly happy. But was he also alone?

"That sounds nice. It's great that you have something that you enjoy doing." The smaller man paused. "...Do you mind if I ask...why you have so much freedom? I mean, it sounds like you've traveled around quite a bit before coming back here. No job?"

The other man was quiet for a moment or two as he kept on sketching, but then he did something unexpected. He chuckled, softly, then shook his head.

"Heh, no. No job. I don't need to work. It's a bit difficult to explain, but I'm taken care of for life."

Now this perked Izaya's interest even more.

"Really? How so?"

"One of my family members left me enough to live off of comfortably. So, I've taken advantage of not having to work ever again. Besides, my old job was pretty stressful, and working really isn't for me. I like having this...'freedom', as you called it. It's nice."

Izaya nodded with a small smile. "I agree. I'm in a similar situation as you are. Except, I wasn't fortunate enough to be left with anything from a relative..." He stopped for a moment, remembering that he shouldn't disclose too much information about himself. If he told this person that he had made enough money to last several long lifetimes, it would be rather difficult to believe. So, he decided not to speak that part aloud.

"That's neat. Did you have a job that paid well? Or did you win the lottery?" There was a hint of playfulness in the other man's voice. Izaya found that he was liking this person more and more. He also couldn't help but be amazed that he was still conversing with him and managing to draw at the same time. He let out a small chuckling, shaking his head.

"No, not the lottery. I've never gambled. I just had a well-paying job. But it was pretty dangerous work at times. It wasn't something many other people would be willing to do, which is why the pay was good."

There was some amusement in the other's voice as he replied.

"That's smart of you. No gambling, I mean. My job used to deal with some people like that. But you...what kind of job did you have?"

Izaya froze in place, wondering if it was wise to reveal his past employment. After thinking about it for a long moment, he had an answer.

"I guess you could say I would spy on considerably dangerous people, then report the findings to others?" He knew he was being blunt, but saying that he had been an informant was too risky.

"Hm, so that could either mean that you were an agent for the Japanese government...or a ninja."

This man certainly enjoyed joking around with Izaya. But he sort of liked it. It was comforting, in a small way, to be speaking in such a manner with someone else, even if they had just met.

"Perhaps...and if, indeed, one of your guesses is correct, it might be best that I don't tell you which I had been." Izaya joked back, hoping that would keep the man from being curious about his actual past work.

"Alright, then I won't press on the matter anymore...for now." The man looked forward, then back down, drawing one last thing before he flipped the page over to a clean sheet of paper.

_Good_. Izaya thought. _He'll be here a bit longer. _

The darker brunette opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by his ring tone. Only one person could be contacting him, and he opened his phone to see a text from just that person. Celty.

**-Izaya, I need to speak with you about something immediately. When is the soonest you can meet me?-**

With a sigh, Izaya texted her back.

**-I'm in Ikebukuro right now, in the park. If you're near there, there's that vacant alley a couple blocks away.-**

As soon as he had sent it, he got a reply moments later.

**-Perfect. If you can, I'll meet you there in about ten minutes?-**

**-Sure. See you then.-**

What could she have to tell me? There's really nothing all that interesting anymore to talk about...

Sighing, Izaya realized that he would have go soon. Feeling a bit disappointed now, he started to tell the other man.

"...Well, I..." What could he say? Some part of him wanted to speak with this man again, but how could he let it be known without sounding too strange? "...Now that you're in town...do you think you'll be coming back to this park often?" Izaya asked. "To draw, I mean." He quickly added.

There was a moment of silence before his companion spoke.

"Yes, I think I will. It is the best time to go here, with the cherry blossoms in bloom and everything. It's perfect for drawing opportunities." The man finally lifted his head to face Izaya, but there was one problem. It was now a bit too dark to even see his face properly. He sighed, then replied to the other.

"Ah, well, maybe we'll run into each other again sometime..." Izaya stood up, taking his bag with him. The other man noticed it and commented on it.

"Ah, so they've still got Russian Sushi here?"

Izaya paused, then nodded. "Yes, it's still here. It's run by different people now, but still the same as it always had been."

The other man was quiet again for some time before speaking. "Run by different people? Hasn't it always had the same family running it?"

Izaya froze, realizing that he had made a small mistake in his words. Of course this man wouldn't remember the previous owners, only under the assumption of there being the current owners of his current generation. That would be a dead giveaway of the fact that Izaya had been around for when Simon was there, one of the previous owners. Thinking quickly, he corrected his error.

"Oh, I had worded that wrong. I've always gone there, and I heard about the previous family members who owned it. Of course, they've passed on a while back...but that's when the restaurant began. I just thought it was interesting." He redeemed himself smoothly. At least, he thought he did.

"Hm, well, you certainly know a lot about it. That proves you go there a lot." The lighter brunette chuckled again, and Izaya found it very pleasant to hear the other laugh. But then, he remembered that he had to meet Celty in less than ten minutes, maybe five minutes now. Regretfully, he decided that he had to leave now.

"I'm sorry but...I have to go now. I have to meet a friend."

"...Oh? A girlfriend?"

Without thinking, Izaya replied. "Yeah, she's a-oh!...Oh no no no. She's just a good friend of mine, almost like family. More like a sister." Izaya liked to call his and Celty's friendship that they had developed over the years as family-like, since neither of them had anyone else in this world anymore.

_This guy keeps joking around...almost like he's intentionally keeping me here. It's kind of nice... but I've still got to go._

"So, with that, I must be off. Take care..." Izaya, not knowing what else to say, dashed off in the direction of the alleyway to go and meet Celty.

The chestnut-brunette looked after the running form, lifting his hand to his hair and running his fingers through. He sighed, taking one last look back down at his sketch and flipping the cover back over it, starting to put it away. After everything was packed, he stood up, placing his bag over his shoulder and starting to walk in the direction of his apartment, which just happened to be in the same direction Izaya had gone.

Not long after, Izaya arrived to the alleyway he said he would meet the dullahan. Sure enough, she was there, waiting for him by the wall.

"About time you showed up. I've been here five minutes."

Izaya stared and then waved his hand. "Ah, sorry sorry... I had been preoccupied."

He gave her a small apologetic smile, to which she simply nodded in response.

"Anyway, what was so urgent that you needed to tell me?"

Celty was unresponsive for quite a long time, as if she were trying to think of what to say. Izaya waited patiently, although he did want her to get a move on and just say whatever she had wanted to say. Finally, she lifted her phone and started to type, showing the screen to the ex-informant.

"I didn't want to bring this subject up anymore than I had to, since it's difficult for the both of us...but..." Celty allowed Izaya time to read it before erasing and typing some more. "I became much more curious and began to do some research..." She paused. "Brace yourself..." Izaya tilted his head, wondering what she could be going on about.

"Celty, I-"

"Shizuo isn't dead."

* * *

**...Well, perhaps this is a positive turn of events, hm?...  
**

**...**

**As always, reviews are loved~**


	3. Chapter 3

******_Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita._**

* * *

_"Shizuo isn't dead."_

The message was typed clear as day, each word small yet with large meaning. Izaya could only stare at the screen, an unconvinced smile suddenly appearing on his lips, a light chuckle escaping his throat.

"...Very funny, Celty. You expect me to believe that he, of all people, is still alive? Well, he must be in his eighties by now...so it's not surprising if he's still aroun-"

"Cut the act, Izaya. We've already established your true feelings on the matter. Don't try and act like you hardly care. I know that this is the one thing that is constantly circulating your mind, and I'm trying to put you at ease here."

Celty removed the phone from near Izaya's face, waiting for his signature smirk to go away and turn back into a reflection of what he actually felt; a sad smile. Her shoulders dropped in relief after the smirk left, glad that Izaya wasn't wearing his mask again.

"Now, you're probably right about that. He's likely off living somewhere, still alive. I wouldn't be surprised if he's lived past his nineties..."

"From the looks of it, you don't seem to know for certain...how do you know he is alive?" Izaya was skeptical of the dullahan, who in return shook the head that she didn't have and showed her screen in slight irritation, mostly with herself, trying to explain this to someone who was pretty much close to losing hope.

"Obituaries. He wasn't in any of them. Which means, he hasn't died yet. Either that, or it wasn't put on record. But even someone like him would have shown up in the obituaries. It probably would have even made headlines."

Izaya thought that over, feeling a bit better now. They had just confirmed that Shizuo was...at the very least, likely still alive.

_I just want to talk to him...he may be an old man now, but there's no way he would forget me...I just need closure...I want to see him..._

"Celty, do you have any leads on where he might be living right now?" The hopeful smile fell when the dullahan shook her 'head', or rather, her helmet.

"I'm sorry, Izaya. I only got confirmation that he isn't gone." She paused. "But there is something else that I had wanted to tell you. Or rather, show you." A helmet appeared within her shadows, and she handed it to the ex-informant. "Here, get on. We're going back to my place."

Izaya had no idea what this was all about, but he nodded anyway. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. He put on the helmet and got on, holding on to the sides as Celty sped off to what used to be her and Shinra's shared apartment.

* * *

A few minutes later, they reached the apartment, Celty driving into the elevator and going up. Izaya let go of the sides of the bike once it was safe, and he removed the helmet, which vanished into thin air once Celty took it from him. He followed her inside, glancing around at the apartment he hadn't been inside for over fifty years. It looked the same as it always had, clean and spacious. Celty motioned for the brunette to take a seat on the couch, to which he complied. Not saying anything to Izaya, she left the room, making him confused for a moment until she walked out of another room, accompanied by who appeared to be...a teenager?

"Izaya, don't be alarmed...I haven't been entirely honest..."

Celty quickly held up her phone for him to see.

"...I..." Izaya wouldn't be reacting this way if it weren't for the fact that this child looked almost exactly like a certain underground doctor. "Shinra..._Shinra_?"

He stared, having a difficult time taking in the sight before him.

"Hello Izaya. Yes, I'm Shinra. Now if you'd calm down, we could talk about this and I can explain a few things. Does that sound okay?" This was definitely Shinra...but more like a high-school aged Shinra.

"Celty... How-... He-...I thought he was-..." Izaya couldn't even form coherent sentences, he was so shocked by all of this.

"Please Izaya, just calm down as he told you. He'll explain it all to you if you relax."

Celty was starting to wish she had told Izaya about the younger Shinra before showing him, never having seen Izaya so confused in all the time that she knew him.

After a couple more minutes had gone by, Izaya seemed willing to accept that his old friend was now a teen again, and could now listen to him. He nodded, opening his mouth to speak. "...Shinra...long time no see...I guess?"

Shinra smiled widely in reply, happy that Izaya was better now.

"...Now...how...is this?" The ex-informant pointed and moved his finger up and down in the air, indicating Shinra and his teen-like appearance.

"Well, for starters, promise me that you won't be angry with me."

"...Angry with you? I'm actually really relieved to see you! I haven't seen a familiar face in so many years that I was abou-"

"No Izaya, I mean, please promise that you won't be angry with me when I explain how it is that I got this way."

Izaya's smile didn't leave his face. "...What do you mean? ...Just tell me. If it's in the past, I doubt I'll be angered."

The small Shinra took a deep breath, then spoke. His voice sounded like that of a teen as well, but the way he spoke sounded much wiser than his appearance. "The reason that I am at this age again is because...well, I wasn't planning to go back this far...my early twenties was the preferred age. But anyways..." He smiled, excusing himself for having gone off-track for a moment. "I had known that there was something special about you, after a few years of knowing you, Izaya. So, that one time when you had so generously donated blood t-"

"Excuse me? I never donated blood..."

"Right right...this is the part I had feared you would get angry over..." The teen cowered in fear, but since he looked like a kid, Izaya didn't feel the need to yell. He calmed himself and sighed.

"Go on, Shinra."

"Alright. So, I may have taken more than two vials whenever you had check-ups in the past. Two is the standard for blood tests, but I took...four."

The little doctor flinched, half expected to be shouted at or have something thrown at him. But, neither happened. He looked up, Izaya still with a calm expression. He decided to go on.

"I needed to study your blood, to see what made it different from a regular human being's blood. I was trying to see if I could find the answer to immortality. And I succeeded. Taking your blood, I was able to make, well, sort of a serum. Not having much to lose, since I was already old-aged and didn't want to die on my Celty, I tested it on myself. The result? I started to age backwards." He paused, glancing at Izaya for any sign of a response. But the darker brunette just nodded, taking in the information before he replied.

"You said that you're aging in reverse...does that mean that you'll be an infant in fifteen years or so?" At this, Shinra quickly shook his head.

"But that's the splendid part about this, Izaya! I aged down to a five-year-old. From there, I've grown at a normal rate, and here I am now, fifteen again! Of course, I might have to go through the awkward years, but as long as I get to be with my Celty even longer, I'm happy."

He smiled, Celty not jabbing him in the stomach like she would have in the past. Instead, she pat him on the head, then ruffled his hair gently. He beamed up at her and then hugged her waist, to which she had no apparent complaints to. Izaya couldn't help but envy them, seeing that they were both happy with this. But then he remembered how Shinra had explained that it was his own blood which had reversed the aging process and then made a serum...

"Shinra, you said you had made a serum...so you didn't just simply inject my blood into you..."

He was trying to clarify if his blood at that ability on its own, or if he had added anything that could have reversed his aging.

"Yes well...and as I had said, I over-estimated and that's why I got so young so fast. I may have injected too much of the serum, which is why...but regardless, I'll be at my target age in a few years. It's nice living another life...and I don't even have to go back to school!" He laughed cheerfully, Celty shaking her invisible head and flicking his forehead gently. "Ow, Celty!" He still smiled, touching where she had flicked him and then looking back at Izaya.

"I've concluded that your blood has the ability to give others a prolonged life. The serum I made, mixed with your blood, reversed the aging process, then stops at a target age depending on the amount given, and goes back to a normal aging rate."

As Izaya listened to this, a thought crossed his mind. Maybe he could track down Shizuo and give him this serum, before it was too late.

"Shinra, do you have any idea where Shizu-chan might be?"

It was a rather out-of-the-blue question for Shinra, but he seemed to be well aware of the whole situation thanks to Celty having told him about his conversations with her. "I'm afraid that I don't know...I think he was in Kyoto last I heard..."

Izaya blinked.

"Kyoto?"

"Yes. He went there for a few years to get a new start...no wait...I think it might have been that he was going to travel most of Japan as well...Kyoto for a year and then the next city, and so on." Izaya couldn't believe what he was hearing. So Shinra had contact with the blonde?

"Shinra, when did you last speak to him?" The question was serious, and Shinra wasted no time answering him.

"Well, about five years after you left Ikebukuro to go into hiding due to your...well, suspiciously forever youthful appearance, he came to me and told me his plans to get out of the city. He just said that-...you know what, I'm going to be honest. He said that he couldn't stay here because you were gone, Izaya. It was getting to him, and from what he told me, it sounded like...he missed you."

Izaya froze, eyes widening a bit upon learning this new information. Shizuo left because he couldn't bare not seeing him? And above all, he...actually missed him?

* * *

**...**

**SURPRISE!**

**Shinra's still here, and just as cheerful as ever.**

**...**

**As always, reviews are loved~**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita._**

* * *

"Ah...perhaps I'd better tell you something else as well..." Shinra paused. "Please don't be angry with me when I tell you this..."

"…Just spit it ou-..." Izaya took a deep breath. "Please just...tell me..."

"Yes yes of course." Shinra smiled again. "That time when Shizuo came to our apartment with bullets in his body, he had lost quite a lot of blood. Amazingly, he was still walking as if nothing were the matter, but I had to do something. So, I used the only other blood I had at the time of his type." Shinra's smile turned into a wide grin as he spoke the next word. "Yours."

Izaya went wide-eyed for perhaps the hundredth time that day, not believing any of this to be true.

"…Are you saying that you injected Shizu-chan...with _my_ blood?"

He received a nod as a reply.

"Yes, and it seems to have worked swimmingly on Shizuo. He's been stuck with the appearance of a twenty-five-year-old this whole time. Maybe because your blood was inserted without the serum..."

Shinra let out a loud and long sigh.

"If only I had known at the time what it could do...I would have given it to myself around the same time." He gave an innocent grin when Izaya glared.

"This is _my_ blood you're talking about having played around with, you know."

"I know, I know." Shinra put his hands up in defense. "Anyway, part of the reason that Shizuo left was because he had to. Like you, he wasn't aging at all, like the rest of us. He could only keep up the appearance so long, you know?" The lighter brunette was sitting on a chair now, watching Izaya intently. "Of course, the main reason was that you weren't here."

"…Wait a minute...Shinra..."

The doctor perked up at his name.

"…Did he...does he know that _I'm_-..."

Izaya's words trailed off as he just stared at the teenage doctor. Understanding what his companion was trying to ask, Shinra nodded with a small smile this time.

"Before he left, he was talking about how he was lonely without you, and then I let it slip that you were immortal. I had to, since we needed to discuss your blood in his body, which was preventing his aging in the first place."

Celty had left a few minutes before, and came back in with tea now, setting it on the coffee table for both Shinra and Izaya. The darker brunette took a cup gratefully, nodding his head towards the dullahan. Shinra took his cup and sipped it after blowing on it.  
"Thank you, my dear."

"…Shinra...I need to find him..." Izaya spoke softly, looking into his tea cup at the hot liquid.

The small doctor nodded, understanding his friend's desperation. "...Hm...I should also tell you that...he originally left Ikebukuro to look for you, Izaya."

At this, Izaya had glanced up, a look of total disbelief and a small hint of betrayal on his face. Shinra quickly put up his hands in defense.

"N-none of us had any idea where you had gone! You had cut off all ties with, well, pretty much everyone... So after a while, Shizuo just tried to forget about the life he lived and make a new start, trying to enjoy himself wherever he went and such. He seemed much different as the years went by, according to his emails. He said he felt much more calm...and he even quit his terrible smoking habit..."

"...Shinra..."

"He also didn't seem to have a job. I honestly don't know how he's doing all of this traveling with the amount of money he made as a bodyguard for that debt collector..."

"...Shinra, please..."

"...In fact, he would have used it all up not even a month after he would have quit his job."

Izaya didn't know how much more of this he could take. All that he wanted was a simple and straight-forward answer. But Shinra seemed reluctant to give it to him. Either that or he just wanted to keep talking. Izaya honestly didn't care to hear anymore of this. He would hear it all from Shizuo if that idiotic doctor would just give him the information that he wanted.

Celty, seeming to sense Izaya's silent desperation, tapped her young husband on the back, which instantly made him turn around to give her his full attention. Izaya rolled his eyes.

"Shinra, Izaya just wants to know where Shizuo is. Or where he was the last time you heard from him. Please, help him out."

Celty's message being suitable enough for Shinra, and, willing to do anything for his love, he turned to Izaya and nodded.

"...I'm sorry, Izaya. I'll tell you where Shizuo emailed me from last...I'll be right back..." Shinra scampered out of the room, going to check his email. While Izaya waited, rather impatiently, in fact, Celty sat beside him and showed him her screen.

"I'm really sorry that I lied...I didn't tell you about Shinra this whole time, being alive and everything...and as for Shizuo, I really didn't know that Shinra was in contact with him until today..."

Izaya gave her a small and reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Celty. You don't need to apologize. All that matters is that we know he's out there, and we might have a lead on where he is."

The dullahan seemed to relax, nodding her invisible head and placing her phone to the side. But not a moment later, she stood up, typing something else.

"I'll be right back to see what's taking him. It shouldn't be taking this long..."

With that, Celty left Izaya alone on the couch with his thoughts on what she had said.

In the next room, Celty entered and saw a almost wide-eyed Shinra staring at his email.

"Shinra..." She tapped his shoulder, to which he responded by slowly turning his head.

"Shinra, are you alright?!" His mouth started to form an almost surprised 'O' shape, which quickly turned into a wide smile.

"Celty! You aren't going to believe this!" He pointed at the screen, trying to get his beloved to look at the email. After sighing to herself, she complied, leaning forward to read the computer screen. She nearly dropped her phone as she scrambled to type.

"SHIZUO IS BACK IN IKEBUKURO?!"

All she got in response was another fast nod from Shinra, who couldn't seem to find any other words. Celty was feeling just as excited, yet conflicted. She remembered the man just in the other room, waiting...who had been waiting...for any sign regarding the blonde. She quickly typed out her thoughts and showed her screen to Shinra.

"Shinra...should we tell Izaya about this?"

The brunette was silent for a long moment before answering. He was feeling just as conflicted as his dullahan was. He knew how desperate the ex-informant was, but if they did tell Izaya that Shizuo was back in Ikebukuro, Izaya might leave to go look for him. That wasn't a bad thing, but Shinra's concern was that Izaya would be so lost in his desperation, that he might see Shizuo everywhere he looked and get himself into trouble.  
But it wasn't only that. Shizuo left Ikebukuro with the mindset that Izaya still hated him, as well as thinking that Izaya thought the same of him. It was a rather vicious thought process. Yet, Shizuo had attempted to seek him out to try and make amends. That would make for a very awkward reunion if they were to meet spontaneously after over fifty years.  
Therefore, Shinra decided that they would wait to tell Izaya. Perhaps it would be safer to bring Shizuo here, to avoid any problems.

"I've decided, my dear..."

Shinra stood up from the computer, turning to face his wife, his expression serious. He kept his voice low, as not to raise suspicion from their guest just a room away. "We won't tell Izaya about this."

He pointed to the screen, indicating Shizuo.

"We'll bring him here, then it will be a much safer reunion. I don't want any misunderstandings or other problems to come about, and I want to be able to speak to both of them separately before they meet again."

Celty listened carefully, considering her young husband's words and nodding the head she didn't have. "So, what do I tell Izaya in the meantime?"

"...Well...I'll tell him something now..." He walked out of the room, Celty following after him. Upon entering the main room and seeing Izaya, he saw the ex-informant with his head lowered, staring at the floor. He cleared his throat, making the darker brunette glance up and straighten his posture, awaiting the news almost eagerly. Shinra gave him a small smile before he spoke. "Shizuo is, actually, near Ikebukuro."

Izaya's eyes widened at this, and he seemed all the more intensive.

"He is? Where?"

"…He was vague about it. He just said near." Shinra cleared his throat nervously, hoping that his slight alteration of the truth wasn't apparent.

Lucky for him, Izaya didn't seem to catch that.

"…Of course he would be, that's so like him. But, did he say if he'd be passing through?"

Shinra paused, finding Izaya's enthusiasm quite amusing. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head.

"Again, he was rather vague. He just told me he was near the city. I can reply to him and ask him to come by our apartment, if you'd like."

Izaya didn't even waste a moment before he answered, his face lighting up. "If I'd like? Of course I'd like him to come by! Hurry up and go tell him!"

"Alright alright, I'll go do it now." Shinra chuckled again and nodded, exiting the room.

Celty was left alone with Izaya in the room, and she took her place beside him again. She typed something up, then showed Izaya.

"Why don't you head home and get some rest, since it's getting late? I can contact you with any updates as soon as I get them. Alright?"

The brunette nodded his head, giving in. He was feeling pretty exhausted. But he wasn't so sure if he could get any sleep now that he knew that he was so close to seeing Shizuo once again.

Shinra came back into the living room, giving Izaya another smile.

"Alright, I have emailed him, asking him if he could come by. I will likely have a reply tomorrow." He nodded, eyes never leaving his friend.

"...Thank you, Shinra..." Izaya stood up, doing something that was so unlike him. He kept his head lowered and bowed to the young doctor, who in turn felt, admittedly, quite flustered by this action. He put a hand behind his head and looked to the side nervously, never having been necessarily bowed to before. Once Izaya lifted his head, Shinra put his arm back to his side and gave the other man a kind smile. Izaya returned the smile with a grateful one of his own. Shinra walked close to the other brunette and placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding his head.

"Take care of yourself, alright?" He proceeded to pat the shoulder and grinned, removing his hand and standing next to Celty. The dullahan revealed her screen, both men glancing at it in unison.

"We'll see you soon." She nodded her invisible head and waved her hand, Izaya waving back and going to slip on his shoes. Then, he opened the door, giving one last glance to the couple behind him with a look of peace in his eyes. After that, he left, the door closing behind him.

* * *

While one door was closed, across the city another door was opened for the first time in over forty years. The occupant of this apartment walked in, locking the door behind themselves as if they had never left.  
A small buzzing noise went off, and a cell phone was promptly removed from the pocket of a jacket. Upon opening the phone, the contents of the screen were read. With a light chuckle, the person then closed their phone, walking over to a familiar piece of furniture.

_So..._

With an almost exhausted yet relieved sigh, the person fell onto the couch, glad that all of their belongings remained in this apartment after all of this time.

_...Tomorrow._

Tomorrow, it was then decided, would be the day to be reunited with old friends...

* * *

**...Ooh...what's going to happen next?**

**...**

**^w^;**

**As always, reviews are loved~**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Durarara! belongs to Ryohgo Narita.**_

* * *

Izaya bolted upright in his bed, eyes widened. Again, the troubled man awoke in the middle of the night, grasping his sheets, then letting them go as he gradually calmed down.

Looking around, Izaya surveyed his surroundings, finding everything the same.

However, there was something very different this time. He looked down at his large bed, nothing being out of the ordinary. So then, what was it?

Izaya certainly couldn't explain why he felt this way, but he was definitely feeling that he was not alone. But even so, it wasn't unsettling to say the least. He actually felt quite safe, as if a presence of some sort were watching over him, there to protect him. He laid there with his eyes open for a long moment before he felt sleep start to consume him once more, letting himself surrender as a small smile appeared on his face.

_'...We'll meet again soon, Shizu-chan...'_

* * *

The lone man walked back towards the city a couple hours before noon. He figured that it would be a great opportunity to grab some lunch before heading to Shinra and Celty's. As soon as he had woken up, he had been holding in the feeling of his nervousness. He would be lying if he denied that he was a bit anxious for this whole reunion. After all, he hadn't seen Shizuo for nearly fifty years.

He felt bad about many things, including how he had almost forgotten the sound of his voice. But it wasn't like Shizuo ever spoke to him in any other way than the form of a yell.

Izaya smiled sadly at that thought, continuing on until he reached a familiar cafe. Perhaps a cup of coffee and a snack would do for lunch. He was feeling what could be described with the expression 'butterflies in his stomach' right now, so eating something filling was out of the question.

Once he was inside the cafe, Izaya sat down in the spot he always had, overlooking the city square. As he was about to enjoy his cup of coffee, however, something caught his eye. Or rather, someone. Observing the moving person further, Izaya noted the wide and flat bag that was slung over the chestnut-haired man's shoulder.

'_...An artist's bag...'_

He kept following the man with his eyes, until he saw the brunette turn into the corner leading towards the main park.

_'...It's that man from yesterday. I'll have time after this. Maybe I could go and say hello…'_

Izaya nodded with a smile, seeing no harm in talking with the man again. He had left so abruptly the day before, and he had felt bad about it. Perhaps speaking with him again could help Izaya to ease his nerves. After all, that guy had, amazingly, been able to calm Izaya just the day before, just by talking with him. Izaya couldn't understand why that was, but perhaps the interaction with a decent human being after so long was part of it.

Within minutes, his coffee was gone, his snack eaten. Then, quickly, he left the cafe and headed down the stairs, and onto the streets. From there, he located the direction he had seen the man walk in, then he frowned when he realized that the view on the streets wasn't as good as the view from the window of the cafe. With a small sigh, he looked in the general direction of the park.

_'...Of course... It's over here...' _

He had only wandered there the day before by chance. Others might think he'd know his way there after being around for so long. But much had changed, so it couldn't be helped. The surroundings had changed quite a bit as well, making the city look like a different city than the Ikebukuro that Izaya remembered.

He finally spotted the cherry blossom trees, and he looked around at the nearby benches.

_'...No one...'_

It was something that he felt a bit foolish about, being so let-down about not finding someone he had just met. But he had felt something strange...like some sort of connection to that man. Perhaps it had just been his yearning to have interaction with another human being, something he had lacked for so long. This man just happened to be unlike the others...all in their business attire, heading to work in tall buildings with nothing much to show for. This man, on the other hand, was different. He had seen so much...he had traveled around and even had a hobby to demonstrate his knowledge. Izaya had been impressed, and a person like that was somebody that he wouldn't mind befriending. But then, another thought struck him, holding him back.

_'...Ah...but, if I do attach myself to someone... If I befriend someone... I'm only going to get hurt in the end. I'll outlive them, because they'll grow older and older, while I stay the same.' _

That thought scared him, and it was what held him back from even bothering to look for that man again. He turned around, about to leave the park, until a voice caught his attention.

"You must really love this park, since you came back so soon."

Izaya sighed quickly, looking to the side and seeing the very man he was about ready to avoid seeing. But there was no use in getting out of this now. Putting on a smile, he walked over and sat beside the other with a comfortable distance, crossing his arms and smiling lightly.

"I could say the very same about you."

He chuckled softly, stealing a peek at what the man was drawing. This time, instead of a nature drawing like trees, it seemed to be the sketch of...a person?

Izaya also tried to get a glimpse of this man's face. But when he looked, he couldn't see much. The man was wearing dark sunglasses that covered his eyes well, so it was hopeless. Granted, Izaya was also currently wearing a pair of his own, due to the sunlight. He was more used to coming to this city at night, so it was a given that he'd want to protect his eyes due to not being used to the daylight.

"I guess I'm guilty of that. Yeah. You got me."

There was a smile in the man's voice, even on his face. The small joke also made Izaya smile, before curiosity got the best of him and he just had to ask what was on his mind.

"...So, what are you drawing today?"

He pretended to be oblivious to what he had seen on this man's drawing pad. He didn't want him to know he had sneaked a look in the first place. But he did want to know more about who he had been drawing. In a world full of the same old repetitive cycle of people, he would, naturally, want to know more about the one person who had actually managed to capture his interest.

Izaya waited for a response, but his companion gave no answer. In fact, he had paused his actions, and was looking ahead, as if staring off into the distance.

Finally, after several long minutes of this silence which Izaya didn't dare to break, the man spoke.

"...A person I used to know..."

So much for an informative answer. Izaya really wanted to know more. From what he had seen of the drawing, it had been a man. But it was incomplete, mainly a sketch.

"...Someone that you used to know..."

He partially repeated, hoping that what he had said would get the man to talk more about said person. But there was no further reply. Getting slightly irritated now, Izaya crossed his arms and leaned back on the bench. He could only be so patient...

But then, he thought about it a bit more. Perhaps it was a person that had passed away...or perhaps something happened between them and they had to go separate ways. With what he was given, he couldn't come up with much in terms of possible outcomes. Even so, he understood then if the guy didn't want to talk about it.

However, Izaya's desire to continue a conversation with this man drove him to speak his next words. He wasn't sure why he felt so comfortable talking about it, but he did...

"...I also used to know someone...but, they don't live around here anymore... I haven't seen them in a very long time..."

There was still silence afterwards. Izaya was about ready to accidentally let his irritation show. That is, until his companion finally contributed to the conversation.

"...That...that's actually exactly what happened...with the guy I knew. One day, I heard he had left the city, and there was no trace of him at all. At the time, I had convinced myself that I didn't really care...but... Life was hell of a lot different without him around."

Izaya listened intently, glad to now be getting something out of this guy. So, he had a similar situation to the ex-informant. In Izaya's case, he thought that the person he was looking for was possibly dead the whole time. But instead, he was right here in this city. It was then that Izaya recalled that he would be seeing Shizuo again after so many years... Still having time to kill, he stayed in his place and let himself calm down.

"...So, were you two friends...or something? Also, why do you think that he...you know...left?"

Izaya wasn't sure if asking such a question was too personal, but the man didn't seem to have a problem with answering it. He still kept his attention to his drawing pad, adding more details to the man he was sketching.

"...We were...complicated."

The man paused his sketching, a dissatisfied hum falling from his lips before he erased a line and redrew it.

"...Complicated?"

Izaya asked quietly, wanting to know more about it.

"...Yeah...and to answer your other question... I was told that he had to leave. At first, I thought that he was just running away... I used to think that he would eventually become a coward, so it was bound to happen. But... I didn't know the real reason why he left until-..."

He seemed to have cut himself off for a short moment, as if he was going to say something but wasn't sure. Izaya could understand if it was difficult to talk about, or if it was too personal to share with someone he just met the day before. Even so, Izaya didn't like not knowing something when it had already caught his interest.

Luckily, his companion chose to go on.

"...I found out a while later...and that was when I really started to think things over. Having him gone gave me that opportunity. We were complicated... We were both very...complicated people. But each and every day that went by without him around was worse than having him around...if that makes any sense. I realized that he was important... He was important to me, in more ways than one."

The man had a trace of a smile in his voice, as well as on his face, running his fingers through his chestnut hair and going back to drawing.

"In this day and age, I'm not afraid to admit to anyone now that... I may have had feelings for him..."

Izaya hadn't realized that he had held his breath as the story was told to him. Apparently this was more enthralling than he had even anticipated. He watched the man, but he noticed soon after that his smile gradually fell.

"...But I'm probably never going to see him again... He could be anywhere now, possibly in another country or something... Maybe even...gone for good..."

He darkened a few lines on the drawing, as if he were shading in something.

"So I've just...had to learn to move on."

The man lifted his head with a very obvious sad smile, even though Izaya couldn't see his eyes through the sunglasses on the other's face.

"...Sorry, I just went on and on about my person... What about you? You said that you used to know someone who also left..."

Izaya opened his mouth to respond, but he hesitated. Reminiscing and still speaking more about the subject of missing people didn't seem like it would be very appreciated to this man...but even so, he had asked...so Izaya would tell.

"...I had moved away for a while... Then, the day I came back, my person wasn't there anymore... It's as simple as that."

Izaya wasn't so sure if he felt right talking more about the subject, as this guy already had gone through a lot. So, he kept it short.

"...Is it really that simple?"

The man asked, letting out a small sigh, doing a few final strokes on his drawing.

"...Yes..."

"You don't sound so sure about that."

Taken aback by that sudden response, Izaya frowned and rested his head against the bench. Unfortunately, this guy was right. There was more to it than that...but he wasn't so sure about admitting it. Just like this man who was sitting beside him, he also was in a very similar situation. Perhaps they were fated to meet and have this talk... Maybe fate would be kind and eventually lead the people they had lost back to them.

"...Fine. I guess it isn't so simple. We both took separate paths in our lives, but things haven't been going so well for a few years since then."

"...Was she your ex?"

Izaya blinked and lifted his head, quickly shaking his head and not able to hold back the small laugh that broke out as a result.

"Heh, just like last night when I had that old friend to meet up with who I had told you was like a sister to me...this is the second time now that you've assumed it's a girl I'm involved with. No, my person is male."

He gradually chuckled afterwards, not even thinking before he spoke next.

"I hold no interest in the opposite gender..."

"...So you're saying that you might have felt something for this...guy, then."

Izaya quickly shot his head up in alarm, putting his hands up in front of him.

"...I never said that! I mean... I hold no interest in either gender, actually... That is to say-..."

"You still sound rather uncertain. You sure about what you're saying?"

Izaya had to stop for a moment and rethink what he had said. He really didn't have an interest in either gender for most of his life. He claimed to love all humans equally, but getting involved with one person had not been to his preference… That is, until Shizuo came into the picture. He was the one person who had been different from everyone else, and made the everyday boring world exciting. Even if the feelings that were far from hatred were never reciprocated, he was content with at least having someone not too different from him around.

"...I-...Fine. Probably... Yes. Okay? Yes, I did feel something for him. In fact, even though it's been years, I...still do."

"...You see? That wasn't so difficult... I'm in the same boat with my situation, so there's no need to feel embarrassed about admitting it."

Izaya noticed his companion pause and take out his cell phone, looking at it for a short moment. Soon after, he let out a small sigh and closed his sketchbook. Putting it away into his bag, he turned his head to face his companion.

"...I'm sorry, I just realized that I have to be somewhere right about now... But we're likely to cross paths again soon..."

Bowing his head quickly, he put up his hand in a small wave. Izaya was rather confused, but it all caught up to him. He waved back and nodded.

"Likely...tomorrow in the same place?"

The man nodded back with a small smile.

"Sure. Same time tomorrow. See you later."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Izaya looked down with a short sigh, thinking back to their conversation. So, he had just admitted that he felt more for Shizuo than he originally thought. Celty had managed to figure out there was more to it in the first place...that the attachment Izaya felt meant a lot more. But even so, he never could have guessed that it was actually to this extreme.

He smiled when he remembered that he would actually get to see Shizuo today. Now that he knew he had feelings for the ex-bodyguard, the feeling in his stomach increased. He really was nervous, but excited at the same time. What would he do when they finally met again? What would they even say after fifty years of no interaction? These questions swarmed Izaya's head for some time… That is, until a sheet of paper caught his eye under the bench. Curiously, he leaned over and picked it up.

_'I guess that guy dropped this...he's probably going to want it back, so maybe I can give it to him later...'_

He turned the paper over to have a glance, however, he froze in place when he saw what was on there. Gradually, his eyes widened.

"...What...what is this?"

Speaking in a confused whisper, he scanned the drawing several times, taking in every life-like detail as much as he could.

_'...Short dark hair... A fur-trimmed jacket... This looks like…' _

"No... It can't be…"

After looking at it a few moments longer, Izaya was able to finally determine the almost unbelievable, yet obvious truth.

"...This is…me…"

On the paper, it was clearly a drawing of him, from those fifty years ago when he had worn his signature black jacket with white faux fur. He couldn't stop staring at it. It was almost as if he were trying to deny what was in front of him. But it was there, plain as day...

So…if he was the person that this man had been drawing, then...

_'...Then that means... I'm the person who left without a trace... I'm the one this man...had feelings for...'_

For a small moment, Izaya forgot how to breath. It was until he began feel a bit light headed as his lungs beg for air that he finally took in air.

'_That man… Who is he?!'_

Looking in the direction the man had walked, he could no longer see him. Standing up, he ran off to go after him, hoping he could eventually track him down.

'_I have to know!'_

Izaya searched behind buildings and the streets, trying to find the man. He considered using parkour, knowing that would be a certain advantage. But even so, he wasn't sure how effect it would really be.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find him.

Feeling defeated, he decided to head towards Shinra's like he originally had intended. Celty hadn't yet contacted him with any updates, but he didn't care. Maybe he could talk to them about this, and they would be able to help him with this whole mystery.

The walk to his destination took around fifteen minutes. It would have taken less time, but Izaya wasn't in a hurry anymore. He had lost the man from whom he was seeking answers, and he figured that he would get his chance tomorrow. They had agreed to meet again… Even so, it wasn't like he had to worry about wasting his time. He had all the time in the world, anyway.

However, as he neared the apartment buildings, that was when he saw him.

He seemed to be looking around, almost as if he were looking for some place. He did say that he had to go somewhere, so perhaps where he needed to go was nearby…

Izaya was about ready to walk over and offer assistance in finding wherever this man needed to go, but it was then that he remembered the drawing in his hands. Forgetting all other questions, he began to walk towards the man. Much to his surprise, however, the man also started walking, farther and farther away. That is, until he reached a small courtyard void of any people, which was beside the apartments. Izaya scoffed a bit, figuring that this guy had found the plants interesting. He wasn't irritated about that, he was just a bit annoyed that he had been so close and then had to go after him again.

Not caring about the consequences of his next actions or words, Izaya finally approached him. Upon hearing footsteps, the man looked up, a surprised look on his face when he saw who it was.

"Hey there… What are you doing here?"

"…I followed you."

There was no use in denying it. The surprise on the other's face quickly turned into a small yet confused smile.

"You followed me? Why?"

Izaya held the drawing out to the man, not even a second after he spoke, making sure that he could see it clearly.

"You drew this picture, right?"

The man took a look at the picture, before another look of confusion turned into a smile of relief.

"Oh wow! Thank you for returning it to me. I didn't even know I lost it… I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't gotten it back…"

Izaya watched how the man behaved, paying close attention to how he treated the drawing. He opened up his artist bag and slid the drawing inside with care, before closing it securely.

It was clear to him now that he was important to this man…but he needed his questions answered. Now.

"...Please…I need to know... How do you know the man in that drawing?"

It occurred to Izaya that the both of them hadn't even exchanged names. It would haunt him longer than necessary if he didn't know what he needed to know, and soon. His next words came out almost a bit distressed, but he didn't care. He had to know.

"…Who are you?"

* * *

**Milarius-san here~**

**Sorry for the lack of updates. Another semester just got done and I've finally had time to write!**

**Anyway, a huge thanks to everyone who's staying with me! **

**As always, reviews are loved~**


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